I had cause to spend sometime last week/end in Queenstown and made the effort to take a ‘cruise’ across Lake Whakatipu on the 1912 built coal fired steamer – TSS Earnslaw. I have visited Queenstown a lot in the past but mainly for business related events and was always running to a tight agenda – not so this trip.
A wedding invitation was the excuse for a visit, so while the rest of the family went for a long walk I boarded the ship, at nearly 160’ in length she is a ship.
Trip included a brief stop at the Walter Peak farm – a very impressive looking complex.
The conditions were perfect and woodys I would encourage you to do it if you are down that way. Enjoy the photo gallery.
And the wedding was a stunner – the best of everything – people, venue, food, wine and music. I think I danced more in one night than in the last 20 years, hopefully no one was filming 🙂
Todays woody slips onto WW primarily because home of the 34’ launch – Konini is Queenstown and thats where I am today. Thanks to a tme listing back in Nov 2023 (via Ian McDonald) we learnt that Konini started life as a fishing boat from the east coast of the South Island. Her owner back in 2023 bought it from a fisherman in Bluff. Her hull is double skin kauri plank and the cabin and wheelhouse were rebuilt about c.2017.
A 51hp Perkins 4.108 pushes her along at 6>7 knots. I’m sure she gets some sideways looks from tourists onboard the TSS Earnslaw, but as they say – ‘Beauty is in the eye of the beholder’ 🙂
The launch Miss Lidgard appeared on WW back in May 2013, at the time we learnt a lot about her history and generated good chat in the comments section – see the story link below. Lots of photos and details. https://waitematawoodys.com/2013/05/05/miss-lidgard/
Miss Lidgard started out as a work boat, built to transport light cargo to the whaling station on Great Barrier Island. Then c.2013 she was converted for game fishing work out of Whitianga. The photo above is from that time frame and comes to us from the Tauranga City Library collection via Dean Wright.
Back in February we did a story on the 38’, 1959 Fred Wilkins designed, Allen Williams built launch – Nor-East. That story was a great comparison of her as launched and with the help of a Feb 2019 photo of the craft moored in the Tamaki River we were able to see the ‘additions’ (I’m being polite) check out that story here, lots of great photos https://waitematawoodys.com/2024/02/18/nor-east-before-and-now/
Current forward propulsion is via twin Ford 80hp Diesel engine that get her along at 8 > 10 knots. There were two almost sister ships – Sou East and Nor West
Now thanks to Ian McDonald and a recent tme listing we get to have a gander down belo
Regular WW readers may recall that sadly last year one of the classic boating movements most committed crew – Alan Good departed this life.
Alan was co-owner along with partner Nicky of Lucille – a L33 launch. Alan would always wind me up that his f/glass boat had more bronze and varnish than most wooden classic craft – he was probably right, but I’d never admit it.
Back in 2012 Alan undertook a project to build a classic clinker dinghy, which he named Maggie. I was recently contacted by Nicky advising that the family had made the decision to find a good home for the dinghy.
So woodys if you are looking for a clinker to accompany your classic or maybe just want a traditional gaff rigged sailing dinghy for the grand children – Maggie is for sale and Nicky is looking for realistic offers. If you are a serious woody you will know the time and $$ that it takes to craft a boat like Maggie, so please only genuine enquiries to Nicky via email in the first instance nmlgood@gmail.com
Specs – 7’6” , designed by Selway Fisher, Redshank Dinghy. (Note: oars excluded from sale)
ID’ing todays woody will either be very easy eg someone will know all about the launch or it will need the input of many.
The launch is located in a paddock in the Kaeo / Kerikeri area – on the Takou Bay Road.
The ‘photographer’ was Murray Deeble, who apologised for the photos – he couldn’t get better pic as Murray had no desire to be shot and fed to the owners dogs 🙂 So woodys what do we know about this craft – given the location, maybe Nathan Hebert will have seen the boat and been braver than Murray.
LADY JOYCE (Sheik) Some days the WW email inbox is full of only spam and some days pure gold. Last Thursday was a golden day – any email from Harold Kidd has a good chance of being special.When I click on it to open up popped three stunning photos of the launch Lady Joyce. These photos had been shared with Harold by Rick Norris. With both HDK and Rick’s ok I have included below Rick’s covering note to HDK
“I have followed with interest the various exchanges about the provenance of the launch the Lady Joyce. She was owned by my wife’s grandfather Shirley Harrowell for some years before and after WW2 and was named after his daughter Joyce.. Some time before the war my father, Reg Norris, with his friends Tom Jackson and Bill Harrowell ( Shirley’s son) holidayed on the Lady Joyce in the Bay of Islands.(The Jackson family had a house in Matauwhi Bay.) When my wife Nan’s nephews Paul Baragwanath and Mark Withers recently started taking an interest in the launch, which Mark mistakenly but understandably took for the Lady Shirley which he had seen at the Woodies Boat Show, I dug out some of dad’s old photos of the Lady Joyce to clarify the position. I thought that you would be interested in seeing the photos, which I attach. One of the photos shows Reg and Bill doing the dishes in the stern of Lady Joyce under the watchful eye of Shirley Harrowell.”
In a previous WW story HDK commented (refer below) that Lady Joyce was most likely built in 1922 by Leon Warne. When launched she was named Sheik.In c.1932 she was extensively rebuilt at the Lane Motor Boat.
Regular WW readers will be familiar with the USA video blog Off Center Harbor. Over the weekend I received one of their regular newsletters – this one was all about maintenance on wooden boats – links to 40+ videos on painting, varnishing & epoxy use etc. Because its a pay-2-view site I can not link you to it but the screen grab below will give you a peek at some of the cool content. Depending on the exchange rate – the annual sub is approx. NZ$80 – that woodys is minor compared to what you will save in time, materials and fixing oops. Subscription info here – https://www.offcenterharbor.com
In the comments section on Friday Mr Steam – Russell Ward gave me an elbow re the absence of Vindex launches on WW. Well its simple – they are just too modern looking for a site that focusses on classic craft, most are made of plywood, & f/glass and most end up like the one above……….
Possibly the inspiration comes from terra firma………. (photo ex John Burland)
CAN YOU IMAGINE THE COMPLAINTS IF THIS 1964 WD40 ADVERTISEMENT APPEARED IN 2024 (oops it actually is)
Todays woody has a few question marks alongside her provenance – on tme (thanks Ian McDonald) her owner has said she was built by Lanes to a Logan design and a commentator has mentioned maybe / possibly built by Charlie Gouk in Herne Bay. Build year is listed as 1928, measures 32’ in length with a 9’ beam. Built in traditional kauri carvel planking. Forward propulsion is from a Nissan LD20 engine, reconditioned but not operational.
The name draws a blank with me so it would be nice to clarify the boats DNA and what she has been up to for the last 96 years. Home is Picton, South Island.
INPUT ex HAROLD KIDD – G Tanner of Auckland was the first owner. Later she was sometimes called GEORGENE T. She was registered with APYMBA as late as 1935 as GEORGENE T with the number 20..
16-04-2024 UPDATE – Never believe what you read on tme 🙂 the listing named the boat as – Georgine, so that was the name we used for the WW story. Harold Kidd commented above about the name – Georgina T.
Then yesterday well doing a deep dive in the WW archives for another vessel I came across the March 2016 story based on a trip south by Nathan Herbert.
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